It seemed they fell in love with the wrong house. In early 2004, Kamal Mouzawak, the founder of Beirut’s twice-weekly farmers’ market Souk el Tayeb, and Rabih Kayrouz, a Lebanese fashion designer, were looking for a second home in the Lebanese countryside or perhaps the mountains, a place where they could escape their busy work lives and the bustle of Beirut. But it was a house in Batroun, a the seaside town about 25 miles northeast of Beirut, that swept them off their feet. The house in question is an 8,500-square-foot two-story home nestled into a private half-acre walled garden that belonged to the grandparents of an assistant in Mr. Kayrouz’s atelier. “From the street I knew we wanted it,” said Mr. Mouzawak, 40, pointing out that it is easily the grandest property in town. In ancient Batroun, most buildings rub shoulders along narrow streets, but this house, with its large private garden, was a princely paradise. The only problem was that it was neither for sale nor for rent. It wasn’t really inhabitable either, having been more or less shuttered since Lebanon’s civil war in the 1980s. Derelict or not, the owners had no interest in parting with it. So in an arrangement that does justice to the ancient Lebanese art of deal-making, the owners ultimately agreed to accept renovation for rent. The assistant’s mother served as intermediary in negotiations that lasted six months and involved lawyers and architects for both sides. In the end, Mr. Mouzawak and Mr. Kayrouz, 36, spent $100,000 to restore and renovate the property, entitling them to a 10-year lease. The owners’ architect signed off on all the work done. A day later, they celebrated with 300 guests for breakfast in the garden. The home is a traditional 19th-century Lebanese house built over the remains of several 16th-, 17th-, and 18th-century constructions. Working one floor at a time, the eight-month renovation respected the original layout, but took the house down to its bones when needed to install new plumbing and sanitary systems, as well as a heating system. About 70 percent of the original beige and grey stone floors were taken up stone by stone, restored, and replaced. The upstairs has a large central salon with the traditional three-arched window that is surrounded by smaller rooms as if it were an enclosed courtyard of an ancient Roman villa. Downstairs is a series of vaulted stonework spaces that now includes two guestrooms and two baths as well as a large kitchen and pantry. “In our careers and individual enterprises, we’re very different, but when it comes to designing our homes, we’re usually on the same page,” Mr. Mouzawak said. “For us the greatest luxury was the feeling of space and light so we added just the minimum of furniture needed to make it functional.” To avoid cluttering the white walls, most of the art is propped on the floor, though five original over-door paintings, done in the early 20th century by Youssef Howayek (1883-1962), a Lebanese artist, remain in situ. Both men dislike the stagnant aura of guestrooms that sit idle until someone comes to stay, so one of the upstairs bedrooms has a divan that can be made up into a bed, but otherwise serves as a sitting room. In the so-called cinema room, where movies are screened onto the bare wall, the original painted ceiling was preserved in one of the few ornate moments in the house. The scale and functionality of the long custom-made sofas keeps more pedigreed pieces like the Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chairs from feeling like design pieces. Perhaps because food and entertaining are such an inherent part of their lifestyle, the house’s front door leads into the upstairs kitchen, one of four on the property. The big vaulted one downstairs is used for Mr. Mouzawak’s cooking workshops, as well as large dinners. There are two more rustic kitchens outside, including one in the garden with a sink, workbench, and a cupboard stocked with cutlery and plates. Lebanese meals are meant for lingering, so the dining room has comfy sofas and armchairs around the table. A wall of cabinets, bought from an old fabric store in Beirut is where they keep collections of table linens, plates and utensils, obviating the need for standard kitchen cabinets. Likewise, the upstairs bathroom’s standout piece is a large 19th-century cabinet that was one of the few pieces that they kept in the house. Whereas Byblos, a nearby town, is rapidly rebounding as a high-end resort, Batroun is all about casual easy living. “Instead of going to the beach with towels and the whole kit we just walk through town half naked and jump in the water,” Mr. Mouzawak said. “When we’re done swimming we come back to the garden. The sea is two minutes away.” In 2014, they will either negotiate a new lease or move on, something neither is particularly afraid of doing. “I wish more people were open to doing this,” Mr. Mouzawak said. “We love the adventure of finding homes and fixing them up. Even if we had to hand over the house today, it would still have been money well spent. And we’d look forward to the next project.”

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Depending on the disaster, you might have to stay inside your house, or evacuate your home. Either way, it’s important to have an emergency plan. Learn the best way to protect yourself and your family. The best way to protect yourself and your family is to be prepared. Depending on the disaster, you might have to stay inside your house, or evacuate your home. It’s important to have an evacuation plan, but emergency preparedness is so much more. Use the steps below to make sure you’re prepared for emergencies.

Make Your Emergency Plan: The first part of being prepared is to make an emergency plan. You should make a plan for the places were you spend a lot of time, like home, work or school. Remember that your personal situation is very important. Make sure you plan for your individual needs if you have a specific disability.

Write a Contact List: Another part of creating an emergency plan is writing a contact list. That way, you know who to contact in case of emergency.

Practice Your Plan: Finally, make sure you practice your plan.

Prepare Your Home: Do you live near the ocean? In an earthquake zone? Maybe you live in a place where tornadoes often hit. No matter where you live, there are steps you can take to prepare your home. No matter what the disaster, there are many steps you can take to make your home safe:

Put up Emergency Contact Info

Install Alarms and Detectors

Check for Fire Safety

Eliminate Hazards

Prepare your windows and doors

Get Insurance

Have Emergency Supplies at Home: Your home should be stocked with certain supplies at all times. Keep them in a separate place from your other household goods or food in an easy-to-reach container. Make sure everyone in your family knows these items are for emergencies only:

Water

Food

First-aid kit

Personal items

Clothing/warmth

Communication

Disinfectants

Child care supplies

Disability related supplies

Other ....

Water: You should have one gallon of water per person, per day. You can buy water by the gallon at the grocery store, or store clean, filtered water in old soft drink bottles or other clean plastic containers. It is very dangerous to drink unclean water. To make sure you stay safe, you can add four drops of bleach per quart of water. Or, if you’re really not sure, boil water for at least one minute before drinking.

Food: Keep a lot of canned food at your house. It’s a good idea to have other non-perishables, or food that won’t go bad without refrigeration. You can get canned meals that need little or no preparation. Box or can juices are a good way to stay hydrated, as are powdered drinks like Tang or Gatorade. You might also want to buy packaged snacks like granola or energy bars. Try these:

Beans

Canned fish or meat

Canned vegetables or fruit

Cereal

Crackers

Nuts

Oatmeal

Pasta

Peanut butter and jelly

Soup

Spices, salt and pepper

Don’t forget to keep paper plates, cups and plastic utensils. You’ll probably need a can opener (non-electric) to open your canned food. Plastic garbage bags and antibacterial wipes are useful for staying clean, especially if you don’t have access to water.

First-aid kit: You can buy a pre-made kit at the drugstore, or create your own. Here’s what you’ll need:

antibacterial wipes

antibiotic ointment

aspirin

band-aids

cloth bandages and cloth tape

cold compress

gauze pads

rubber gloves (non-latex are best)

scissors

Personal items: What items do you need to get ready every day? Think through your usual morning and pack accordingly. Have a toothbrush (non-electric), toothpaste, soap, brush/comb, contact lens solution and any feminine hygiene items like tampons. If you have an extra pair of glasses, keep them with these other items. Keep a supply of non-prescription medications, like painkillers (aspirin) and antacids for your stomach. If you have any prescriptions, keep a supply of at least three days. Keep all medicines in a cool, dry place.

Clothing/Warmth: Make sure you have enough blankets to stay warm. You can use a sleeping bag too. You might want to consider a mylar blanket (also called a space blanket), a lightweight material that reflects your body heat to keep you warm. Mylar blankets fold smaller than a pack of cigarettes. They cost just a few dollars, so stash a few in your backpack. Also keep a full change of clothes (including shoes, socks, pants, long-sleeved shirt and underwear). If you live in cold weather, you might want to add a few more items of clothing to stay warm.

Communication: How will you get in touch if you lose electricity and are stuck at home? The typical home phone won’t work, so think about alternatives. A cell phone is very good thing to have. For outside communication, a battery-powered radio will get you all the news you need. Since information changes quickly during disaster times, a radio is the best way to stay informed. You may also need to communicate within your house, or find someone who is trapped. Keep a few whistles in different rooms so people can make noise if they are stuck somewhere. You can also use walkie talkies to stay in touch for short distances. Make sure you keep extra batteries.

Disinfectants: Staying clean is an important part of disaster preparedness. Keep certain supplies on deck, such as bleach, soap, dish detergent, hand sanitizer, toilet paper and paper towels. Plastic buckets and garbage bags will also come in handy.

Child Care Supplies: Make sure your children have everything they’ll need. If you have a baby, stock up on diapers, wipes and special foods. Keep a supply of medications for children, including child aspirin, cold medicine and anything else your child might need. Don’t forget entertainment, like books, games or cards, so your children will have something fun and distracting.

Disability Related Supplies: Make sure you have everything you need to care for yourself and to be as functional as possible in an emergency.

Other: Keep a flashlight with extra batteries. You should never use candles or any other kind of unprotected fire during a power outage, since any gas leaks or problems could cause a fire.

Prepare a "Go Bag": What is a “go bag”? A “go bag” is slightly different than the emergency supplies you keep at home. You’ll use it if you need to leave your home. These items need to be in a portable bag (like a backpack or other easy-to-carry container with handles) and ready to move with you, in case of evacuation. If you have many people in your family, it’s a good idea to have more than one backpack. That way, you can divide up the supplies. You want to make sure the bags are easy to carry and don’t get in the way of evacuation.

Important Documents: If there’s a big disaster, these documents could be the only records your family has. So don’t forget the big stuff! Keep everything in a waterproof, easy-to-carry container, like a light plastic box or sealed folder:

Survival Items:Many of the supplies in your go bag will be similar to your home emergency supplies. The difference is that these supplies need to be ready to move. Don’t weigh yourself down, but pack enough supplies for a day or so: